Bottom Line

Ebola reached Watsa as Tshopo exhausted its vaccine stocks. The National Assembly advanced a broad anti-corruption bill, while Raphaël Katebe Katoto—Moïse Katumbi’s elder half-brother—backed constitutional change and additional presidential mandates for Félix Tshisekedi. The UN verified 4,114 grave violations against children, and the subcontracting regulator extended its mining-sector enforcement campaign to ERG and Ivanhoe.

Health and Humanitarian Affairs

Ebola reaches Watsa as Tshopo exhausts its vaccine stocks

Watsa became the eighth of Haut-Uélé’s 13 health zones affected by Ebola. This is an increase of one affected zone from the seven recorded in the province on September 27; Dungu had previously become the seventh.

National reporting has since put the outbreak at 8,116 confirmed cases. The most recent detailed breakdown, covering data through September 26, counted 8,067 cases and 3,901 deaths.

In Tshopo, authorities said available vaccine stocks had been exhausted before all eligible frontline workers could be vaccinated. Physicians have also demanded stronger protective measures following the death of Dr. Kingombe and the infection of two other doctors.

Weekend storm destroys more than 1,500 homes in Luiza

Torrential rain during the night of Saturday to Sunday destroyed more than 1,500 homes in Luiza territory, Kasaï-Central. Families were left without shelter, while the territorial administration building, a church and facilities belonging to the Higher Pedagogical Institute were damaged. One institute building was reportedly swept away shortly before the new academic year.

Politics and Governance

National Assembly advances 144-article anti-corruption bill

The National Assembly declared the government’s 144-article anti-corruption bill admissible and sent it to committee. The proposed framework covers prevention, investigations, sanctions, recovery of illicit assets, public procurement, political financing, conflicts of interest and asset declarations by state employees.

Corruption is already criminalized under the Penal Code, while a 2002 code governs the conduct and financial disclosures of public officials and the Constitution requires the president and ministers to declare family assets when entering and leaving office. The bill would consolidate and widen a framework currently spread across several laws and institutions.

Katebe Katoto backs constitutional change and additional Tshisekedi mandates

Raphaël Katebe Katoto submitted the conclusions of consultations conducted across the former Katanga province to President Félix Tshisekedi and publicly endorsed constitutional change. He also said he wanted Tshisekedi to remain in office beyond the current two-term limit.

The position is particularly notable because Katebe Katoto is the elder half-brother of opposition leader and former Katanga governor Moïse Katumbi. A businessman and former opposition organizer, Katebe previously helped assemble an opposition coalition and represented his younger brother in negotiations.

John Mbangu transferred to Kasapa prison after ANR detention

John Mbangu, the Haut-Katanga youth coordinator for Moïse Katumbi’s Ensemble pour la République, was transferred to Kasapa prison after approximately 20 days in ANR detention.

Mbangu was arrested on September 4, before the September 15 C64 demonstrations. His case concerns an earlier Ensemble youth mobilization over the proposed national dialogue and constitutional change; his lawyer said he was accused of organizing a demonstration without prior authorization. Rights groups and his party describe the proceedings as politically motivated.

Senate advances proposed ban on social-media accounts for children under 13

The Senate sent a proposed amendment to the Digital Code to committee after approving it for consideration.

The bill would prohibit children under 13 from opening social-media accounts. Children aged 13 and 14 would require supervised accounts and verifiable parental consent, while those aged 15 to 17 would receive enhanced privacy protections. Platforms would have to restrict messages from strangers, disable precise geolocation by default and stop using minors’ data for advertising profiles.

Kenya already requires digital-service providers to introduce age-verification and child-safety measures, while Nigeria has been consulting on possible age restrictions.

Human Rights and Justice

UN verifies 4,114 grave violations against children

The UN verified 4,114 grave violations against children in the DRC during 2025, placing the country second globally behind Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

The documented abuses included killings and physical injuries, abductions, recruitment and use by armed groups and obstruction of humanitarian access. The UN also cited continuing impunity despite prosecutions involving sexual violence and the recruitment of children.

Judiciary records 29 magistrate deaths since January

The Superior Council of the Judiciary said 29 magistrates had died since January, including four recently appointed judges.

Recent deaths include senior military magistrates Joseph Mutombo and Lucien-René Likulia, who were killed in the September 25 aircraft crash at Kenge, and Haut-Katanga Court of Appeal president Vincent Mwana Mulenda, who was killed during an attack at his Lubumbashi home.

Economy and Infrastructure

ARSP extends subcontracting enforcement to ERG and Ivanhoe

The subcontracting regulator ordered ERG and Ivanhoe Mines subsidiaries to end 268 contracts with suppliers it classified as ineligible under Congolese ownership rules. The total comprises 128 contracts at ERG subsidiaries and 140 at Ivanhoe operations.

The action extends a September enforcement campaign that previously targeted 955 supplier relationships at Kamoto Copper Company, 585 at Mutanda Mining, 12 at Kai Peng Mining and 10 at Compagnie minière de Lwisha. Together, the decisions concern 1,830 supplier relationships across 10 mining companies.

Business-registration review finds long delays and illicit payments

A review of the business-registration one-stop shop found applicants waiting weeks or months, paying unofficial charges and leaving without required tax and social-security numbers.

The Guichet unique de création d’entreprise was created to complete registration within three working days. Official charges range from $40 for a sole establishment to $110 for some companies, but applicants described paying $120 for an establishment and more than $400 for a company. Some reported additional payments to agents or intermediaries.

The findings illustrate the administrative problems behind two recently announced reforms: replacing multiple company numbers with a single business identifier and a presidential 30-day deadline to accelerate business-climate measures.

Haut-Uélé reopens 630 kilometers of rehabilitated roads

Haut-Uélé authorities returned approximately 630 kilometers of rehabilitated roads to service after two years of work.

The projects cover 334 kilometers of RN26 between Isiro and the Kibali bridge, 86 kilometers between Durba and Faradje and 210 kilometers of RP426 between Isiro and Dungu. The routes connect the provincial capital with mining and agricultural areas; before the work, some journeys between Watsa and Isiro reportedly took two or three days.